GREENSBORO, N.C. — September means summer vacation is over, you’re back on schedule and the calendar is now full of things to do including…updating and securing your important documents.
I know, snooze fest, right? But really, if lightning hits your house. rains cause your house to flood, or winds bring down a tree on your roof you won't want the “excitement” of trying to get all of your records together after the disaster.
September is National Preparedness Month. On the IRS checklist of things to do is gather tax returns, birth certificates, deeds, titles, insurance policies, and all those original documents in a waterproof/fire-safe container. Copies should be in a secure place, you can do that in several ways.
The IRS recommends you make paper copies and put them in a locked drawer at work, bank deposit box, or in a trusted family member’s home. You can also upload all those documents to a zip drive and put that drive in a safe place.
To help with insurance claims, you'll want to have a home inventory. You can do a manual checklist, the IRS has a workbook that takes you through your entire house. Something easier might be a home inventory on your phone. Take a video of all the electronics, appliances, furniture, artwork, whatever you'd want to be paid for, and put it on video.
In the end, it's up to you to prove what you had to the insurance company. Keep the video on your phone, but you can also email it to yourself and your insurance agent.